CellarHand’s 20th Anniversary celebrations – don’t get us wrong, it’s a year-long thing – have meant a brief hiatus for the CellarHand newsletter, but here it is, back with a vengeance. The domestic releases are headed this month by the super ’16s from Sandra de Pury of Yeringberg, and by the 2017 single-vineyard releases from Leongatha and Red Hill from on-song Onannon. A new name arrives in the portfolio, too, with Stoney Rise now joining CellarHand in several states. A few new wines elsewhere, with Mount Mary introducing its first Cabernet Franc under its Réflexion label, Shadowfax releasing a varietal Roussanne in its Minnow range, and Paul Scorpo adding a late-harvest Pinot Gris (named Pinsanto) to his range of Gris options, which includes the benchmark estate wine and the just-released second coming of the superb skin-contact Bestia. Vintage rolls galore have happened at S.C. Pannell, and the likes of GST, Dead End and Arido rosé are sure to please newcomers and acolytes alike.
On the imports front, we now have a full range of ’17s from Dr Loosen, and they’re a jubilant celebration of the glorious surprise that this Mosel harvest represents. The Dr Loosen link has also introduced us to something new and pretty incredible: The fabulous Pinot Noir of Switzerland’s Gantenbein. A couple of new wines join us from existing family members, too – notably Gerhard Pittnauer’s Pittnauski and a delightful Passetoutgrain from Vosne grower Jean Tardy. The news is rounded out by effusive write-ups for the likes of A. Christmann in Pfalz and Bründlmayer in Austria’s Kamptal.
For the news in full, please click here – and we hope you enjoy a thoroughly amiable April.